Pacific Ocean

I am a huge, sparkling blue blanket that covers more than half the world. I tickle the shores of warm, sandy beaches and brush against cold, icy lands where penguins and polar bears live. If you could see me from space, you would see how big and blue I am. Colorful fish with rainbow stripes, giant whales who sing deep songs, and playful dolphins who leap and flip all swim and dance inside my waters. Turtles glide through my currents, and tiny seahorses hide in my seaweed. I have big, crashing waves for surfers and quiet, gentle ripples that rock boats to sleep. I am a world of wonder and adventure, and I have many stories to tell. I am the Pacific Ocean.

My first friends came to visit me a very, very long time ago. They were some of the bravest people you could ever imagine. We call them the Polynesian wayfinders. They did not have fancy maps or compasses like sailors do today. Instead, they built special canoes called outriggers that were strong enough to travel far across my waters. They learned to read the stars in the night sky like a giant, sparkling map. During the day, they watched the sun to know which way to go. They could even feel the direction of my currents with their hands to find tiny islands in the middle of my enormous blue expanse. They sailed from one new home to another, discovering new places to live and showing incredible courage on their long journeys with me.

Long, long after the wayfinders, other explorers came from far away to see me. A man named Vasco Núñez de Balboa was the first explorer from Europe to see my sparkling waters. He stood on a tall peak on September 25th, 1513, and looked out at how big I was. He was amazed. A few years later, in 1521, another brave explorer named Ferdinand Magellan decided to sail his big ships all the way across me. It was a very long journey that took many months, and his sailors were tired and hungry. But during his whole trip, I was very kind to him. My waters were calm and gentle, and there were no big storms. Because I was so calm, he gave me a special name. He called me 'Mar Pacífico,' which means 'Peaceful Sea' in the Spanish language. It is a beautiful name, and I have kept it ever since.

Today, I am still a peaceful sea that connects countries and people from all over the world. Big ships carry toys and bananas from one side of me to the other, and airplanes fly high above my clouds. I am home to the deepest place on the whole Earth, a trench so deep that a mountain could fit inside it. I am also home to the biggest living thing, the Great Barrier Reef, which is full of colorful coral and thousands of fish. I share my treasures with everyone, from the healthy fish people eat to the fresh air they breathe. I love when you come to visit my shores to build sandcastles, splash in my waves, and explore my tide pools. I hope you will always help keep my waters clean and safe for all the amazing creatures who call me home.